Jan 2025 - Ryan Zarick LayerZero Token/Airdrop Twitter/X Phishing - $Unknown (Global)
Ryan Zarick is the Co-founder and CTO of LayerZero Labs, a Vancouver-based company focused on building the Layer 0 of blockchain. With over 10 years of experience in tech, he has co-founded Minimal AI, Coder Den, and 80Trill, and served as CTO at Buzzdraft. Ryan holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from the University of New Hampshire.
Ryan Zarick’s has a Medium page focusing on topics related to blockchain technology, interoperability, and LayerZero’s developments. His writings cover technical aspects, such as the design and evolution of features like fungible token coloring (Project ColorTrace), updates on LayerZero's progress (e.g., security updates and new features), and deeper insights into omnichain solutions. He often discusses challenges and advancements in bridging and cross-chain functionality, emphasizing security, scalability, and the future of decentralized systems. Additionally, he writes about key LayerZero initiatives like Stargate and the integration of LayerZero with IBC (Inter-Blockchain Communication).
Alan Estuver was the first to warn about the hack, followed by a discussion involving Eoin MacLochlainn, who responded to a post suggesting an intern was fired. Bryan Pellegrino clarified that LayerZero does not hire interns. Later, Ryan Zarick's account appeared to promote a pump and dump scheme involving a LayerZero token on Solana, with Twitter user slateronsolana expressing concern that Zarick himself had launched the token. Twitter user EseTeLopez reported losing all of their ZRO tokens, likely due to phishing links tied to the incident.
While Ryan has recovered his account, there doesn't appear to be any public mention of the incident or any suggestion of compensation for victims.
Further Analysis
Ryan Zarick is the Co-founder and CTO of LayerZero Labs, a company focused on building the Layer 0 of blockchain. With over 10 years of experience in tech, he has co-founded several companies and held roles like CTO at Buzzdraft. In January 2025, Ryan's Twitter/X account was compromised to promote a pump and dump scheme involving a LayerZero token on Solana, as well as a fake airdrop that tricked users into approving wallet access, causing users like slateronsolana and EseTeLopez to report losses. Although Ryan regained control of his account, there doesn't appear to have been a public acknowledgment/explanation of the incident or any suggestion of compensation for victims.
How Could This Have Been Prevented?
More Cryptocurrency Exchange Hacks/Scams/Frauds
Moonray MNRY Airdrop Phishing Discord Compromised > > < < UniLend Redeem Underlying Missing Health Factor Check Exploit
Sources/Further Reading
LayerZero Labs CTO的X账户短时被盗并发布钓鱼链接，相关帖子已被删除_快讯-odaily (Dec 31)
Personal Homepage Of Ryan Zarick (Dec 31)
Ryan Zarick - Rootdata (Dec 31)
LayerZero - SequoiaCapital (Dec 31)
Ryan Zarick's Twitter Account (Dec 31)
Ryan Zarick's LinkedIn Account (Dec 31)
https://sosovalue.com/person/ryan-zarick-1844232218540462081 (Dec 31)
Crypto Hacks Surge: Safeguard Your Digital Assets - OneSafe Blog (Dec 31)
https://www.theblock.co/post/334180/string-of-x-hijacks-continues-as-hackers-access-accounts-of-litecoin-foresight-ventures-and-others (Dec 31)
slateronsolana - "is this how you spend your sundays too?" - Twitter/X (Dec 31)
Eoin MacLochlainn - "Cant tell if legit or making light of the situation? Did you just publicly announce you're sacking somebody before the fact on X?" - Twitter/X (Dec 31)
EseTeLopez - "damn... i just lose all my ZRO :(" - Twitter/X (Dec 31)
Alan Estuver - "The @ryanzarick account is currently compromised. Avoid interacting with it until further notice." - Twitter/X (Dec 31)
@0xElegant Twitter (Dec 31)
@ZRO_AI_Agent Twitter (Dec 31)
@lebsonwinner Twitter (Dec 31)
@ZRO_AI_Agent Twitter (Dec 31)
@BlippyChad Twitter (Dec 31)
@ZRO_AI_Agent Twitter (Dec 31)
@TrumpVanceAgain Twitter (Dec 31)
@Blockchain__LTD Twitter (Dec 31)
@rookie_of_Ph Twitter (Dec 31)
@Itzpoopster Twitter (Dec 31)
@Unendingfates Twitter (Dec 31)
@piter_morgan Twitter (Dec 31)
@PrimordialAA Twitter (Dec 31)
@trenchalerts Twitter (Dec 31)
@13_navjot Twitter (Dec 31)
@ppmctweets Twitter (Dec 31)
@0xEldorad Twitter (Dec 31)
@AHoboWithAStick Twitter (Dec 31)
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